Reviews

War Master's Gate by Adrian Tchaikovsky

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tadhgerman's review against another edition

5.0

This book saw all our heros, along with some new ones to refill the ranks, getting some page time. I enjoyed seeing everyone at the same time again even if they aren't together but it's a grim tale of things going from bad to worse in a gripping setup for the final book.

awoodalla's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.75

jpbaldassari's review against another edition

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slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.0

minna_ekman's review against another edition

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4.75

War Master's Gate is the penultimate installment in the Shadows of the Apt series. While I felt that the first 2-3 books in the series seemed a little YA-oriented to me (mostly because of the naive and hapless demeanor of the characters), the subsequent books have matured in both tone and scope. Each book has expanded the world, added characters (while we've also lost some favourites along the way), added new kinden, the dialogue has improved, and overall the quality has grown markedly.

By this ninth book, the story has become noticeably dark and grim, the consequences of the main conflict have been heartbreaking and we are left wondering how things can end well for our protagonists against this evil machine that is the Wasp Empire.

I really enjoyed this book and can't wait to see how Tchaikovsky manages to tie up all loose ends.